Opportunities From: Delaware State Parks

In celebration of our country’s 250th anniversary, we invite community members to join us for a meaningful day of service at our local cemetery. This special cleanup event will focus on honoring the gravesites of our veterans — the men and women who served and sacrificed for our nation.

Volunteers will join Delaware State Park staff at Christ Church Cemetery and perform respectful gravesite care and general grounds maintenance, including:

Light brush removal Trimming plants and overgrowth Cleaning around headstones Clearing debris and improving the overall appearance of the grounds

This event is an opportunity to give back, preserve local history, and show gratitude to those who served. Whether you have a personal connection to a veteran or simply want to contribute to your community, your time and effort will make a lasting impact.

When: 4/22/26, 5pm - 6:30pm

Where: Christ Church Cemetery - 523 S State St, Dover, DE 19901

Please note: Please bring your own: Closed-toed shoes required Water bottle Clothes you can get dirty in recommended Sunscreen  Pants, long sleeves recommended Insect Repellent Check for ticks! Work or Garden gloves (gloves available if needed)

Help keep the John Bell House’s vegetable gardens healthy!

Join First State Heritage Park for a John Bell House Garden Day! As a Garden Day volunteer, you will help the park maintain its three vegetable and herb gardens while engaging in historical interpretation. This experience also includes the opportunity to dress in historical clothing provided by the park.

On each First State Heritage Park Garden Day, volunteers can:

Discover the plants in a colonial period garden and their uses Learn the basics of colonial period gardening Weed, water, and assist with plant maintenance and harvesting as needed Give back to your community while enjoying Delaware’s first “urban park without boundaries”

Tools, including trowels, watering cans and gloves, will be provided by the park. Prior gardening experience is welcome, but not required.

First State Heritage Park has three gardens consisting of the colonial garden, the enslaved person’s garden, and the Indigenous garden. The colonial bed features herbs, lettuce, radishes and more which could all be found in a modest colonial family’s kitchen garden. The enslaved person’s garden displays the methods of gardening enslaved people used to grow crops, as well as the foods that helped them maintain connections to their African heritage, such as peppers and collard greens. The Eastern Woodlands and Indigenous garden exhibits the Three-Sisters method of planting with corn, beans, and squash.

Meeting place: John Bell House, 43 The Green, Dover, DE 19901; volunteers wishing to dress in 18th century clothing should notify a staff member upon arrival for travel to Rose Cottage, 102 S State Street, Dover, DE 19901

Parking: Volunteers may park in spaces along the streets around The Green or alongside Rose Cottage

First State Heritage Park Garden Days are typically planned for the third Saturday of each month, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., during the season to support park staff and other volunteers in the efforts to maintain these gardens.

First State Heritage Park welcomes work, school, and other small groups interested in scheduling a service project for their teams, classes, etc.

A small-group service project is a great way to provide your organization with an opportunity:

To give back to the community or to learn about the value of service. To promote team building or collaboration. To embrace a new challenge together or to step outside a comfort zone in a safe, fun social setting. To learn about Delaware State Parks operations and to see the impact of the group’s service. To take a break from the office, warehouse, classroom, etc., and enjoy the great outdoors. To accumulate service hours collectively.

The types of service projects available to small groups are often event-related and may be based on seasonal needs at First State Heritage Park. Service projects for school groups may prioritize educational value and are intended to be age-appropriate.

Types of service projects available to small groups include:

Setup and/or breakdown of citywide and park events, such as Old Dover Days and Colonial Market Fair Maintenance of the colonial, enslaved, and/or indigenous gardens at the John Bell House

Coordinators for group service projects may RESPOND AS TEAM to this opportunity and ask about scheduling a date and time that is compatible with the group’s schedule. (Coordinators are also welcome to RESPOND AS TEAM to a scheduled service project if there are enough available shifts.)

Featured is the First State Club, an award-winning Milford High School club for students interested in the storied history of Delaware. The First State Club has been instrumental in in supporting park staff for events, trades, planning, and more.

Note: The project site’s address may differ from the park’s address or the John Bell House's and will be provided during scheduling.

Become a part of history at the John Bell House!

First State Heritage Park welcomes volunteers to bring the history of the John Bell House to life as interpreters! You can help visitors really feel like they are walking into a house from the 18th Century.

Experience and knowledge are welcome, but not required. All you need is an eagerness to learn and a passion for local and regional history! We’d love to see you there!

As a volunteer interpreter, you can:

Dress in colonial era reproduction clothingLearn about and perform the daily chores and trades necessary for the upkeep of a modest colonial household, such as laundry and yarn-makingCare for and maintain the park’s three vegetable and herb gardens, including the Colonial Garden, Enslaved Person’s Garden, and Indigenous GardenGreet and welcome visitors to the John Bell HouseGive visitors tours of the park after providing park staff with an initial test tour

The John Bell House at First State Heritage Park was built in the mid-1700s and offers a glimpse into the everyday life of Dover’s earliest days. Learn about marching Revolutionaries, Freedom Seekers, Suffragists, and more, and bring their stories to life! 

This is a great opportunity for anyone interested in local history, storytelling, and programming. We are grateful for all of our volunteers who help us create a welcoming atmosphere at our park!

First State Heritage Park welcomes Girl Scouts who are pursuing a Gold Award and Boy Scouts who are pursuing the Eagle Rank!

Delaware State Parks appreciates the long history of Scouts’ service and is familiar with the processes to achieve such Scout honors. The park may identify potential service projects that would satisfy the requirements of a Girl Scout Gold Award or an Eagle Scout Service Project. Scouts are also welcome to submit proposals for service projects to the park.

Requirements:

Contact First State Heritage Park about your interest in completing a project in service of the park. A simple way to do that: Contact Delaware State Parks. In the form: Select "First State Heritage Park at Dover." Select "Volunteering or campground hosting." Provide your email address (required) and phone number (optional). Describe your interest in doing a project for the park and provide details about your project, including the deadline and/or anticipated completion date. Meet and/or discuss project proposals, plans, etc., with park personnel. Receive approval of your project, plans, amendments, revisions, etc., from the Superintendent. Complete the project by the required deadline.

Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts who enjoy visiting First State Heritage Park, are passionate about history and preservation, and/or are passionate about supporting Delaware State Parks’ mission are excellent candidates to complete a service project at the park for a Girl Scout Gold Award or the Boy Scout Eagle Rank!